Body Language During Public Speaking: Nonverbal Signals of Success

Effective communication is not just about what we say, but also how we say it. 

In today’s world, we use three main communication languages: verbal (voice), nonverbal (gestures), and emotional (emotions). While verbal communication is the most obvious and conscious means of conveying information, it is nonverbal signals that are often crucial to the success of communication, especially during public speaking.
 
The three languages of communication
1. Voice –verbal communication that is realized through shared knowledge and understanding of language. It is the most controlled and conscious channel for transmitting information.
 
2. Gestures –body language, manifested through movements of the hands, feet, head, walking. Gestures are one of the primary languages of humanity, but they are often used unconsciously. However, gestures can also be used consciously within a culture of communication, for example, shaking hands when greeting, putting palms together during prayer, bowing as a sign of respect. In stressful and emotional situations, control over body language can be suppressed, so it is important to learn and develop non-verbal communication skills for use during important negotiations and speeches.
 
3. Emotions –another primary language of communication, which manifests itself in the voice (strength, weakness, sensitivity, tone), facial expressions (emotional tension) and internal emotional state. Control over emotions is achieved through the study of emotional intelligence, one's own psychology (complexes, needs, fears, desired rewards).
 
Gestures that do not contribute to effective communication

1. Closed gestures
Closed gestures create a physical barrier to the orators, signaling possible tension, fear, weakness, or stress. Such gestures include:
- Arms crossed in front of your chest
- Lowered crossed arms and crossed arms behind the back
- Hands in a closed and open lock
- Hands clenched into fists
- Using the index finger or fist
- Head down
- Crossed legs
- Hands in pockets 
- Leaning on the back leg as if performing a standing lunge (the front leg creates a protective barrier)
- Constantly holding objects

It is normal to use closed gestures in personal conversations and can promote comfortable thinking. However, in public speaking and business negotiations, you should demonstrate awareness, competence, and the results of your thoughts, not the thought process itself. Defensive, closed postures do not help establish trust.
 
2. Gestures that convey excitement
This group includes fine motor skills (fussiness), which can manifest itself in:
- the hands (interlacing fingers, twisting objects, touching hair and face)
- the legs (shaking in place when performing standing, shuffling of the legs while sitting, trembling, swinging of the legs, unwarranted walking)
- the eyes (gazing that runs, avoiding eye contact)
 
3. Uncertain gestures
This category of gestures shows the speaker's doubts about what he is talking about and is dissonant with his competence. Such gestures include:
- Standing on one leg (right or left)
- Absent or unclear hand gestures
- Avoiding eye contact
 
Gestures associated with trust and confidence
1. Open gestures
Open gestures, where the palms are visible, demonstrate sincerity and a willingness to communicate openly. They help establish trust and understanding with the audience.
 
2. Meaningful gestures
Meaningful gestures reinforce and illustrate key points of a speech. For example:
- "This is the most important question" – palms open and facing upwards
- "This is not an important question" – hands pointing down, devaluing and denying
- “First, second, third” – list items using two hands or one in space or at a table
 
3. Justified gestures
If, during a public speech, the arms are raised while standing, this should be justified by the content of the speech. The arms should not be constantly raised in front of the person, creating a protective barrier.

Monotonous hand movements, walking or nodding of the head without semantic load are paragestures that harm the perception of meaningful and justified gestures. The use of paragestures, like paralanguage (the sounds "um", "aah", "eee", "mmmm"), can negatively affect how your message is received.

The opposite of paragestures are justified movements on stage, such as walking to a flipchart to write or demonstrate something. These are movements which are appropriate and motivated. If there is no reason for using a gesture or movement, it is unjustified and unnecessary.

The role of gaze in communication
Gaze plays an important role both during personal conversations and public speaking.

1. During personal meetings you should look into the eyes of the interlocutor only when you are directly addressing him (greeting, requesting, complimenting, wishing, asking). When you are listening, eye contact is not required. Also, you should not constantly maintain eye contact during long professional communications where a certain issue is being studied or a solution is being sought, as the display of confidence and leadership through excessive eye contact can make people uncomfortable and be detrimental.
 
2. When speaking in public to a small audience (up to 20 people), your gaze should be kept constant, encompassing all those present as components of a single whole who perceive your information. Particular attention should be paid to people sitting in the corners of the room, as they may fall out of the Orators active angle of view (approximately 90°).
 
When speaking to a large audience, it is important to divide the room into sectors with defined centers and look at them as a single unit. As well as the people in the corners of the room, it is also important to pay attention to the audience in the front row.
 

Red flags:
- Closed gestures
- Gestures that convey excitement
- Uncertain gestures
 
Blue flags:
- Open, meaningful and justified gestures